Prosecutors: Man told woman he'd 'kill her or bury her alive'

Two photos of Joseph L. Lopez Jr., named in an arrest warrant. (Cook County Sheriff's Department)

Bridget DoyleTribune reporter

A man accused of choking and beating a woman this week in the northwest suburbs told her that he would "kill her or bury her alive" after she told him she wanted to end their relationship, prosecutors said in court today.

Joseph L. Lopez Jr., 34, of Mt. Prospect, was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 in Cook County bond court today after being charged with two counts of aggravated domestic battery. He had been taken into custody about 10 a.m. Friday in the 1400 block of Brownstone Court in Mount Prospect, according to a statement from the Cook County sheriff's office.

An arrest warrant had been issued Thursday for Lopez, who is accused of "severely beating'' the woman late Tuesday inside a car in a parking lot in an unincorporated area near Palatine, an earlier statement read.

Lopez grabbed the woman and pushed her into her car, striking her with a closed fist when she said she did not want to continue their relationship, prosecutors said in court today.

According to the assistant state's attorney, Lopez told the woman he would "kill her or bury her alive" if she did not continue their relationship. They had been dating for two years, according to court records.

Lopez also told the woman he would "drive her to Chicago and dissolve her body" if she tried calling police, prosecutors said.

The woman was unconscious for a period of time after he choked her. Lopez also slammed her head into the center console of the car, according to prosecutors.

When she regained consciousness, the woman told Lopez she would continue to date him and he let her go, prosecutors said.

She drove herself to a nearby hospital and was found with internal injuries, including a lacerated liver. The woman also had several clumps of hair missing from her scalp, prosecutors said.

Lopez also threatened to shoot police who come in contact with him and turn the gun on himself, according to the sheriff's statement, which described him as armed and dangerous.